Sorry,PM assures more sensitivity

The wife of kidney patient Sumit Verma,who died on Tuesday after personnel deployed for the PMs security delayed his entry to the emergency section of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research....

The wife of kidney patient Sumit Verma,who died on Tuesday after personnel deployed for the PMs security delayed his entry to the emergency section of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research,on Wednesday received a letter of condolence from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The letter,delivered to the family by Ambala Deputy Commissioner Sameer Pal,was addressed to Isha Verma,and read,I am writing to you to express my profound sense of sadness at the death of your husband Shri Sumit Verma yesterday. I understand that he could not get access to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh in time because of the restrictions in place for my visit there. This is something I deeply regret.

In his letter,the Prime Minister further asked the authorities to be more sensitive to the needs of common people during such visits. I have issued instructions so that in future authorities are more sensitive to the concerns of the common man while imposing such restrictions for reasons of security, he wrote.

Sumit,a resident of Ambala and a chronic kidney patient,died at PGI on Tuesday while the PM attended the convocation ceremony of the hospital. The family has alleged that their entry to the emergency section was delayed by almost one-and-a-half hour as they were not allowed access by security personnel. Sumit was declared brought dead when he finally reached the hospital. He was cremated on Wednesday.

With Sumits death,the family has an unemployed young widow and two small children Saran 12 and Chirag 6 and no source of income. Sumit worked at a jewellery shop and most of his earnings for the last one year were spent on his treatment,the family said.

However,the PMs letter has brought some comfort. A relative,Neeraj Verma,said it assuaged their pain when a person of this stature took out time to write to common people like us.

Of course we are touched. Nothing can compensate for the loss,but this gesture by the Prime Minister has lessened our pain, said Neeraj.

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The DC also handed over a cheque of Rs 2 lakh to the wife and assured free school education for the two children. He assured the family that the city administration would look for suitable employment for Isha.

Meanwhile,reacting to the death of Sumit,the Congress on Wednesday said security agencies should be more sensitive. Security agencies should tackle such matters in a sensitive manner and ensure the common man is not harassed, AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.

He,however,added that the VIPs who were given such security did not know what security drill was being followed and which roads were being blocked.